Covers are used to protect interiors of boats from the elements. Covers are typically removed while the boat is in use, and the covers are placed on the boat when the boat is not in use or in storage.
Different systems for fastening a cover to a boat are known in the art. These systems include fasteners coupled to the boat and snaps carried on the cover to engage the fasteners and thereby hold the cover in place. Typically, the fasteners are mounted to the boat by drilling holes in the boat at the desired positions and threading fasteners into each of the holes.
The above-described types of fastening systems are undesirable for several reasons. For example, the drilling of the holes in the boat is undesirable because such holes may cause leaks or corrosion. Further, once a hole for a fastener is drilled, it cannot be moved if, for example, the hole is positioned incorrectly, the cover being used stretches out of its initial configuration with use, or a different cover is used.
Several fastening systems allow the position of the fasteners carried on the boat to be varied. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,961,725, 3,367,349, 4,292,913, 5,331,993, and 5,471,715. However, these systems suffer from further drawbacks. For example, some of these systems do not allow for ease in the positioning of the fasteners on the boat. Others do not allow for the fasteners to be reliably fixed in a desired position on the boat. Still other systems do not allow for ease in increasing or decreasing the number of fasteners used to hold the cover.